On Frail Wings of Broken Glass
by topseykrets
Summary: Hermione loses her parents to a death eater attack, learns that she's not just a normal witch, and falls in love with the new kid. Story better than summary. Review please. Rated M to be safe. Probably on hiatus as well, unless someone is willing to help.
1. In A Rush and A Sweet Friendship

An orphanage? Why couldn't they let the Weasley's adopt her? Or at least take her in until a different family was found? The girl formerly known as Hermione Granger stood looking out the window of the horrid smelling place. It had been two weeks since her 'parents' were killed by Death Eater attacks. Not just any attack though. Voldemort had killed my parents right in front of me. Okay…it wasn't Voldemort himself, seeing as he couldn't be 'bothered' by 'petty' muggles. Hermione rolled her eyes and thought about the letter that she had received shortly after her parent's death. Automatically, her hand reached up and touched the necklace that was permanently fixed around her neck. Even though it never came off, Hermione was quite fond of it. Her mother had placed it on her when she was only a babe. Hermione smiled as her finger traced the delicate pendant that seemed ever changing, always changing colors to match what Hermione had on or to match her mood, and the shape itself switching between a lioness and a simple broach shape. A knock sounded at the door to the small dormitory which she shared with four other girls slightly younger then herself.

"Miss. You have a visitor." Hermione nodded and followed the worker out to the visiting rooms. As much as that sounded like prison it really wasn't, these rooms were cozy. As she neared the room she heard the owner of the establishment talking in frantic whispers.

"She has been here for nearly two weeks and the child has yet to utter a single word! You must do something before she forgets how to speak at all." Hermione's eyes were downcast as she entered the room, not bothering to look at who her visitor was. What surprised her was the pair of warm arms that embraced her, causing her to finally look at who her visitor was. Professor McGonagall.

"You're leaving with me, dear. Go get your things, quickly." The professor whispered so that only Hermione could hear. Then taking her chance, Hermione ran like she had never run before. Straight past the other girls as they asked where she was going so fast, her bags were already packed. She had never unpacked them from when she got there, for she felt that she would be leaving soon. No, she wasn't running to her room. Hardly. She was running for the younger years rooms, the ones that held the girls only four or five years of age. Poking her head in, she saw that the room was empty except for the girl Hermione was looking for. Hearing Hermione the girl looked up and grinned, running into Hermione's open arms.

"We're leaving, aren't we Riley?" Hermione nodded and helped the girl get her things ready. The girl, Ariana or better known as Ari, didn't need Hermione to talk to know what she was thinking. Ari was the only one that knew Hermione's true name was Riley Imogen Turnwald. Having finished packing the bags, Ari held her arms up signaling that she wanted to be picked up. Hermione nodded and picked the girl up after swinging the bag over her shoulder, knowing full well that she was taking too long to get back to Professor McGonagall. "Riley, she's going to be hesitant to let me come along. And you should really start thinking yourself as Riley now instead of Hermione. Hermione gave the girl a shrug and trudged on to the room that she had been staying in to grab her bags. From that day on she would not think of herself as Hermione Jean Granger, but Riley Imogen Turnwald. She sighed as she made her way in and saw a shadow pass over the other girls' faces.

"Why does she get to leave?" "Who does she think she is to think she can take Ari with her?" "What does she have that I haven't got?" "I'm a much better daughter than she would be." Riley rolled her eyes and still said nothing, earning a little help from the five year old attached to her hip. After they escaped the scrutinizing stare of her former dorm mates, Riley looked as if she were about to say something but shook her head and continued on to the visiting room where Professor McGonagall was waiting. Once she entered, however, the Head of the establishment stood in outrage.

"You're not allowed to take Ari with you, Hermione!" Riley glared and held onto Ari a little tighter as Ari's arms secured themselves around the older girl's neck. Sensing that Riley had something to say, Ari said it for her.

"_Riley _said that she's not leaving without me. And that you would have to pry her cold dead fingers from me if you wanted to separate us. She goes I go. Plain and simple." Ari squared her jaw and looked at the head defiantly, knowing that they had won the argument. Professor McGonagall looked slightly amused before putting her façade back up.

"Yes. Well. Seeing how these two are inseparable, I shall be escorting them both to a safe house. Good day." She left no room for argument as she grabbed Hermione's arm and led her out of the horrid place that was called an orphanage. Once out of view of prying eyes, McGonagall turned on the spot, Apparating the two girls and herself to the spot outside of the Shrieking Shack.

"Now Miss. Granger…"

**AN:: Ugh. I love this story. I want to write nonstop right now. And I think that's what I'm going to do. Okay. For those that are slightly confused. Hermione's 'parents' were killed in a Death Eater attack, she received a letter telling her who she really was shortly after, the reason she won't speak will soon show, Ari can hear Hermione(Riley)'s thoughts and vice versa, McGonagall doesn't know that she is no longer Granger, and if there is anything else just pester me. I won't be bother by it at all. **


	2. Living Arrangements and An Attack

**Disclaimer: Do I honestly need to put this up? Siriusly…though. If I really did write Harry Potter I wouldn't be writing fanfics. Mhm. Onto the story then? Good. :D**

_Recap: "Yes. Well. Seeing how these two are inseparable, I shall be escorting them both to a safe house. Good day." She left no room for argument as she grabbed Hermione's arm and led her out of the horrid place that was called an orphanage. Once out of view of prying eyes, McGonagall turned on the spot, Apparating the two girls and herself to the spot outside of the Shrieking Shack._

"_Now Miss. Granger…"_

Riley visibly tensed then grimaced, Ari already voicing what Riley was thinking. "She's not Hermione Granger anymore, Mrs…" She paused and tilted her head at Riley who was looking at her sternly. "Oh fine. _Professor_ McGonagall. Her name is Riley Imogen Turnwald and she's not very happy….oh, that was meant for me." Ari grinned sheepishly and muttered a quite 'sorry'. Riley smiled slightly and nodded. "Oh, she's curious as to where we'll be staying? And she's quite hoping that it's not that place." Ari grimaced as she pointed to the Shrieking Shack. McGonagall shook her head and started walking towards Hogsmeade.

"You'll be staying at Hogwarts, for now. But I wasn't really planning on having to house two students over the summer." She eyed Ari out of the corner of her eye. "Does the child know about magic already? That's quite peculiar if she does." Ari grinned brightly and nodded.

"Of course I know. I wouldn't be able to know what Riley was thinking if I didn't know about magic." The stunned expression on both McGonagall and Riley's face caused Ari to shrink back into Riley. "I'm sorry. I wasn't supposed to say anything about that. He's going to be mad, isn't he?" McGonagall looked at the child strangely as Riley held Ari tighter and shook her head.

"Who's 'he'?" McGonagall questioned curiously. Ari just buried her face into Riley's shoulder and Riley just gave an apologetic smile.

"Riley said maybe some other time." Ari's small voice sounded a bit muffled from the fabric of Riley's shirt. McGonagall nodded stiffly and looked at Riley.

"Why don't you speak anymore Miss. Gra-Turnwald? And, if I may ask, why the name change?" Riley glared at McGonagall openly, not particularly caring that she was glaring at a professor. After complete silence from both Riley and Ari, McGonagall huffed and tapped the locks on the gate to Hogwarts. "I should inform you now, Miss. Turnwald. You're to be Head Girl, so that should make living arrangements better for you and…." She eyed Ari out of the corner of her eye. "the child. I have Headmistress duties to take care of, so Sir Nicholas will show you to your dorm." With that, McGonagall nodded sharply and stalked off towards her office. Riley rolled her eyes and grinned at Sir Nicholas.

"Pleasure to see you again, Sir Nicholas." Ari's small voice spoke up, sounding nervous. She turned her head away from the ghost and hugged Riley tighter. Sir Nicholas looked confused at Ari then slowly turned his gaze towards Riley.

"Do I know her?" Riley grinned and shook her head. "Then how did…" Riley cleared her throat and nudged Ari.

"I speak for Riley since she doesn't speak anymore." Ari's head was still turned away, but it was heard clear as a bell in the empty corridor. Sir Nicholas looked taken aback.

"Surely that's not true, Miss. Granger." Riley winced and mentally told Ari not to worry about correcting him while nodding to Sir Nicholas. Looking sadly at him, Riley placed Ari on the ground only holding the child's hand. "Right, sorry to hear about that dear." Riley nodded sadly. "How about I show you your room then?" Riley nodded and followed Sir Nicholas towards the Gryffindor tower where, instead of stopping at the Fat Lady's portrait, they walked to the end of the hall to the right where a great tapestry hung. "Right. Here you are. Now, all you have to do is set the password and place your palm on the lioness." He smiled warmly towards the two girls. "I'll be taking my leave now, Bloody Baron and the others are having a poker night…whatever that is." His eyes shone brightly as he floated through the wall, leaving a waving Riley and Ari behind.

"I like him. He's funny." Ari chirped as she placed her palm on the lioness. "Charlatan." The tapestry shone red the disappeared, allowing admittance to the common room of the Head Girl's quarters. Riley picked Ari up and walked into the room, noticing that as soon as they entered the room the tapestry reappeared closely followed by the stone wall and then a door with a lioness knocker. "Wow." Came Ari's voice as she struggled to get out of Riley's arms.

Cautiously, Riley set Ari down before turning to another door that held a golden plaque. Stepping up to the door, Riley read the inscription. 'Gryffindor Common Room.' She blinked, was there a door in the common room to the Head's dorm? Shrugging her shoulders she turned and looked around the room. Plush cream colored carpet covered the floor, upon which sat light brown suede furniture. A couch in front of the fire place, a sofa to its right, two chairs to its left. Above the fireplace a portrait of a woman and a man smiled at Riley. On the opposite side of the room, several bookcases stood on either side of the large picture window, which gave a perfect view of the Black Lake, the grounds, and the Quidditch pitch. Right in front of the window sat a desk, which seemed ready for multiple nights of late night studying. To the right of the window a wrought iron spiral staircase led up to another level.

Biting her bottom lip, Riley made her way to the stairs. This was too much for just her and Ari. This was practically a house. Shaking her head, she climbed the steps while running her hand over the cool metal of the railing. Once at the top of the steps, Riley was faced with six doors. Shrugging, she went for the closest door, which had yet another golden plaque on it that read 'Kitchenette'. Opening the door revealed a decent sized kitchen done in bright colors, and it contained a stove, a refrigerator, a sink, a pantry, everything. Sighing, Riley left the kitchen, unable to think about what the other rooms held.

The second door's plaque read 'Ariana's Room'. Smiling to herself, Riley opened the door and let out a gasp. The room was beautiful. Light blue carpet, white walls with murals of the ocean, and paintings of moving mermaids. It was peaceful, something that Ari definitely needed. Ari looked up wide eyed from the book she was reading. "It's perfect, Riley. Can I stay here forever?" Riley smiled.

'_No, but when we leave Hogwarts I'll paint your room so it looks exactly like this at our new house, okay?_' Riley thought, knowing that Ari would hear her.

"I get to live with you forever?" Ari squeaked. Riley nodded, looking quite amused. Jumping up from her spot on the floor, she ran to Riley and threw her arms around Riley's legs. "Oh thank you thank you thank you! Does that mean you'd be my mummy?" Ari looked up at Riley with wide innocent eyes that seemed to hold the knowledge of this situation already.

'_I guess if you really wanted to, you could call me your mother. But after Tuesday I'll have to adopt you no matter what, just to make sure I don't lose you. Okay?_' Riley smiled sadly down at Ari; this girl had become the reason to stay alive in the matter of minutes. Since the time Riley had found the girl crying in a dark corner about _him_. Ari nodded then smiled suddenly.

"Your birthday is in two days." Riley smiled a small smile and nodded. This would be her first birthday without her parents. "I'm going to throw a party for you. It's going to be HUGE! I'll ask the professors to help me…" Ari trailed off and ran to the desk in her room and started writing hurriedly, like she had to write down everything before she forgot it. Chuckling, Riley made her way out of Ari's room and to the third door.

Opening the door, Riley was met with a gorgeous bathroom. On the left and right side stood two doors, which Riley could only assume led to the bedrooms. Gold tile covered the floors with plush white rugs in front of the sinks. The sinks were white marble with gold flecks, the faucets were gold, and the shower head was gold. The tub was a large spa tub, done in the same style as the sinks. Blinking, Riley tried to take it all in. This bathroom was fit for a goddess. After she took in every detail she exited the bathroom and then entered her room. What she found amazed her.

Thick white carpet lay at her feet. Another large picture window that faced the Forbidden Forest sat with the black drapes pulled open. The walls a fabulous red, except for the wall directly in front of her desk, which was black but held an outline of a muggle street light with a sketched white circle surrounding the top, the red light seemed to glow like a beacon in the darkness. Above the streetlight in the white circle, three words were written in black; 'People Always Leave'. Oh how true that was. Sighing, Riley turned and looked at her bed which brought a smile to her face. It was a large, comfy looking bed donning black pillows and a white comforter with large black flowers and red centers. Red bed hangings sat open, allowing the sun to warm the bed. The room was perfect for her; the dark colors were soothing and reflected the way she felt inside. This was definitely a place that she didn't want to leave.

Just as Riley sat on the bed, a school owl tapped on the large window asking for admittance. Pulling herself off the comfy bed, she made her way to the window to let the owl in. Once the owl entered it stuck out its leg to reveal a small scroll attached with a red ribbon. Sighing, Riley untied the scroll and opened it while watching the owl fly back out the window. Turning her attention back to the scroll, Riley rolled her eyes when she recognized the hand writing.

_Ms. Turnwald,_

_I and the rest of the staff that is here wish to see you at dinner in the Great Hall. I'm sure you wanted to test out your kitchenette, but it is after all your first day here. Dinner is in an hour. Can't wait to see you and Ariana._

_Professor McGonagall_

Riley shook her head and tossed the letter into the waste bin then left her room. She still one room left to check out. The door to the last room held no plaque. Which only made Riley that much more curious about what was held inside the room. Before she could open the door, Ari appeared at her side smiling brightly at the door. Continuing to open the door, a small gasp was heard from Ari, but still no sound from Riley. There before them stood a training room of sorts. Dark cherry wood floors, a dueling platform, mats, swords and Katanas, daggers, sai, and many other weapons littered the walls and tables placed around the room. '_It's like they're trying to tell me something._' Riley rolled her eyes but had to smile when she saw Ari run and do several flips across the mats. '_Show off._' Riley stuck her tongue out and left the training room and entered her bedroom.

Having the sudden urge to take a bath, she grabbed a pair of dark jeans, a red t-shirt, and a black zip-up hoodie. '_Ari, I'm going to take a bath!_' Hoping against hope that Ari had heard her, and just as she entered the bathroom Ari's reply came.

"Fine! But don't forget that dinner is in 45 minutes!" Riley couldn't help but smile, that girl always seemed to know too much. Quickly turning the taps to the tub on, she pulled her hair out of the ponytail that it was in then ran her fingers through her messy curls. They had calmed down over the summer, so they were now silky smooth curls instead of that bush she used to call hair. Sighing, she turned the taps to the tub off and quickly stripped down before jumping into the tub. While in the tub, she let her mind wander to the fateful night her parents died.

_Hermione sat talking with her parents in the living room, all enjoying a cup of tea. All was calm and cheerful, well…at least it was at the particular moment. It seemed like it had all happened in a flash. A dark cloaked figure entered the Granger's house holding a wooden stick in front of their person. That's when it happened. A red light shot from the stick and struck her father, causing him to crumple to the ground, convulsing in pain. Mrs. Granger screamed and threw herself at the cloaked figure while Hermione drew her wand. But she had been too slow. A green light shot from the hooded figure's wand, thus sending a lifeless Mrs. Granger's body to the coffee table which collapsed under the sudden impact. Hermione heard herself screaming, begging the figure to stop. But the figure never paid her any attention, other than the second it took to send a Crucio at the girl. Hermione collapsed like her father had, twitching and convulsing, screaming and begging to make the pain stop. She felt her wand slip from her grasp and a white hot fire poke at her again. When the curse was lifted, she struggled to her feet only to see the figure send a green light to her father's convulsing form which stopped at the impact of the light. The tears were falling shamelessly down her cheeks as she pushed herself to her feet, fighting off the pain of the Crucio as it was sent to her again and again. That's when it happened. A heart wrenching scream escaped Hermione, causing the house to shake. Wandless and shaking, Hermione stepped towards the cloaked figure and moved her hand to the side in a sharp and jerky movement, sending the figure crashing into the door. "You killed my parents! My only family!" Another jerky hand movement sent the figure crashing onto the steps. "I want to see you suffer! I will take pleasure from the pain I cause you!" A hysterical and slightly manic laugh sounded through the deadly silent house. Hermione pointed a finger at the figure and twitched her finger down, causing the figure's hood to reveal Cho Chang. Stepping back from her, Hermione shook her head. "No. You're…you're a nice girl! You can't be a killer!" Cho only chuckled in reply, only angering Hermione further. She raised her hand like she was going to slap Cho and lowered it in one quick fluid motion. Causing Cho's head to crash hard onto the steps. Hermione held her hand in front of her, slowly wiggling her fingers, causing a pained gasped to emit from Cho. No words seemed to come from Hermione as she tortured Cho like she had tortured the Grangers. With the sudden rage, unbeknownst to Hermione, her eyes flare orange with a yellow ring, and suddenly the area around Cho was engulfed in flames. But that's not what had disturbed Hermione to the point of no return, no. It was what had happened next. The image that seemed burned itself into Hermione's memory. The image of Cho's body slowly start to dismember itself, then the image of Cho's body start to burn…alive. And all she did was stand there and watch. Watching as she murdered her parents murderer. Then something snapped in her mind, causing her to lose control of the fire, which spread like wildfire. Grabbing her lifeless parents, she left her house with only the clothes on her back and her wand that she had picked up from the ground._

"RILEY!" A small pair of hands were on her shoulders, shaking her frantically. Then a horrid scream met her ears and soon realized that it was herself who was screaming. Quickly shutting her mouth, the screaming cut off and was replaced by whimpering. Riley was shaking something terrible, unable to get that horrid image out of her mind. Her trembling hands reached for her eyes and she made to gouge them out but Ariana stopped her. "Riley where's your potion!" Riley shook her head and continued to try to rub her eyes, she had to make the image go away. But it wouldn't leave, it would never leave. It would always haunt her no matter if she were awake or asleep. It would burn itself into everything she did.

Finally able to break free from Ari's grip she started rubbing frantically at her eyes, trying desperately to make the images go away. While Riley was rubbing her eyes, Ari ran from the bathroom and into Riley's bedroom. Not knowing where to look, Ari made a swooping gesture in mid-air to summon the potion vial, which immediately zoomed out of the rucksack that was draped over the back of the desk chair. Running back into the bathroom, she found Riley still rubbing her eyes.

Ari tried her hardest to get Riley to swallow the potion, but she wouldn't cooperate. Sighing, Ari placed the now empty potion vial on the counter of the sink, the contents now emptied into the tub. Waving her hand several times, she levitated Riley out of the tub, dried her off, and put her clothes on magically. After she was finished, she escorted Riley down to the living room to set her on the couch in front of the now blazing fire place. Ari made sure Riley wouldn't go anywhere then ran out of the dorm, heading towards the direction of the Great Hall.

Upon entering, every pair of eyes were on her. Which only added up to be Professors McGonagall, Sprout, Flitwick, and a teenager who were all sitting at one table. "Riley! She's having an attack and I can't get her to take her calming draught and she keeps rubbing and scratching at her eyes and she keeps whimpering!" Ariana was hysterical right now, no longer was she acting like a mature young woman like she normally did, but was for once acting her age. Tears streaked her face as she trembled on the spot. The Professors were still in shock at the outburst of the little girl and had yet to move, but the teenage boy stood hurriedly and followed the hysterical Ariana out of the hall.

**Back in the dorm**

Riley sat shaking on the couch, still rubbing at her eyes. Every now and then she would let out an agonized scream.

"Stop…please stop…" That night her parents died, she had vowed that she wouldn't utter a single word again because the last words she had said were so utterly maniacal. But she had broken that vow and was not quietly pleading for the pain to stop. "JUST STOP! PLEASE!" Riley collapsed sideways onto the couch and started to convulse, just like the night her parents had died. Like someone was torturing her again with the Cruciatus. She was so engulfed in pain that she didn't hear the door open or the multiple sets of footsteps come rushing towards her. Nor did she hear Ari scream for her before total darkness engulfed her.

**AN:: I hope you liked this chapter; it's definitely one of my longer chapters. Review please?**

**Oh and if anyone wants to be a beta or a 'get your ass in gear and write'er, message me, yeah? xD Alright. Now I need to write the next chapter for my Adoria story.**

**Peace.**

**xoxo**

**Eden**


	3. Aden Altair and A New Trio

_Recap: "Stop…please stop…" That night her parents died, she had vowed that she wouldn't utter a single word again because the last words she had said were so utterly maniacal. But she had broken that vow and was not quietly pleading for the pain to stop. "JUST STOP! PLEASE!" Riley collapsed sideways onto the couch and started to convulse, just like the night her parents had died. Like someone was torturing her again with the Cruciatus. She was so engulfed in pain that she didn't hear the door open or the multiple sets of footsteps come rushing towards her. Nor did she hear Ari scream for her before total darkness engulfed her._

"RILEY!" Ari screamed helplessly as she witnessed the girl she saw as her best friend, her big sister, and most importantly, her mother. Darting to where Riley's head now lay still on the couch, she pushed the few tendrils of hair out of the older girl's face. "Please…Riley, don't leave me. Don't leave me too!" The small girl's trembling hands rested at the older girl's temples, emitting a soft blue glow. Everyone in the room seemed to be surprised at this display, except for the teenaged boy. After a minute, the glow stopped and the boy scooped Riley up from the couch, automatically heading towards her bedroom. Ari followed closely, avoiding the others in the room.

"Mr. Altair! She needs to go to the infirmary right this instant!" A hysterical McGonagall screeched at the teenaged boy, whom just ignored the Professor and entered Riley's room. Ari ran forward and pulled the quilt down so she would be situated under them. After Riley was laying in her bed covered with her quilt, Ari looked up fearfully to the boy.

"Will…will she be alright, Aden?" Aden clenched his teeth and focused his eyes on the sleeping girl then nodded. Unseen to them, at the mention of the boy's name, the Professor's eyes widened in unison; trying, frantically, to figure out how the girl knew the boy's name without them telling her.

"She'll be fine, Ariana." A small smile appeared on his face as he crouched down to be eye level with Ari. As soon as he was leveled with her, she shot at him, hugging him fiercely, as if she had known him all her life. To say the least, the Professor's were stunned, Poppy was the first to recover and strode to Riley's side. Performing a couple of health checks on the sleeping girl's form. All was well until she performed the last check, which caused her to stare at her own wand in horror. Sprout stepped forward and looked at Poppy curiously.

"Poppy? What is it? What's wrong?" Aden shifted, knowing full well what was wrong, but obviously Ari needed more comforting, for when he shifted she increased the force behind her hug. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Poppy blink back tears and sit at the desk chair.

"She's showing signs of having suffered an attack…by the Cruciatus curse." She hung her head and dotted her eyes with a handkerchief. "It's far worse than any of the side effects I saw from Severus, poor child…what's happened to her Minerva?" Her head rose as she looked at the Headmistress, who just in turn looked at Riley in shock. She hadn't been informed of why she had gone mute, but now had an inkling of what it could be.

"I don't know Poppy, I don't know…" Oh how she wished Albus was still alive, he would have known what to do in this situation. Aden raised an eyebrow at the Professor's and cleared his throat before standing up, with Ariana still attached to him.

"I believe it best that we let Ms. Turnwald rest, she's been through quite an ordeal." The Professors looked at him as if he had grown a third head. "I know you think that my being a month away from being of age, that I am required to talk like a complete and total imbecile. Sorry Professors, but when you know the things that I know and seen what I have seen, you would understand." Clearing his throat yet again, he shifted Ari in his arms. "I'll stay here to watch over Ariana and Riley, I will owl you when she awakens." Sprout glanced curiously between the new student and the Headmistress.

"Aden, dear, Riley doesn't know you. Do you not think that she will have a panic attack if she finds a stranger in her room?" At this, a huge grin plastered itself onto the handsome teen's face.

"Ah, her eyes may not know me and her brain may not know me, but her heart will." His eyes sparkled with unknown knowledge. Seemingly to convince everyone but Minerva, the other Professors walked out of the Head Girl's living quarters.

"I expect an owl as soon as Ms. Turnwald awakens and if it's not soon, hourly reports on her condition." Aden nodded shortly and walked out of Riley's bedroom and into Ari's.

"Ari, love. You have to let me go now so I can take care of Riley, okay?" Ari shook her head forcefully and tightened her grip slightly. "At least loosen the grip, doll. You're going to choke me to death." He chuckled as he saw the little girl's head shoot up to glare at him. Aden shrugged and let go of her, causing her to wrap her legs around his waist in a vice-like grip as well. Aden sighed and walked back out of Ari's room, returning to Riley's. "How about you stay here so I can brew a potion for her?" Ari bit her bottom lip but nodded slowly, releasing her death grip on him. "I promise I'll be back and I won't be going far, I noticed there was a training area here. It should do for a makeshift potions lab." Aden tapped his chin thoughtfully, trying to decide how he was going to attain the required ingredients for the potion, but Ari answered for him.

"Just summon the ingredients from the Potion Masters storage. I'm sure that funny old man won't notice anything missing when he returns to school." As she was saying this, she had crawled onto the bed and sat cross-legged, meditating to a point. Aden shrugged and proceeded to the makeshift lab.

Once there he transfigured the mats into a table, cauldron, and a pair of dragonhide gloves. Tapping his chin again, he contemplated what he needed then summoned for it. The potion would only take five minutes to put together, but needed half an hour to brew then another ten for it to cool so the last ingredient could be added. Sighing, he added the ingredients then left them to simmer. Letting his shoulders slump for a moment, he vowed right there that he would see Riley never had to suffer like this again. _I hope she's alright, she still needs to come into her powers._ Sighing, he stood up straighter and returned to Riley's bedroom, only to find Riley still sleeping and Ari asleep as well. Chuckling softly, he tossed a spare blanket over the sleeping form of Ariana before conjuring himself a recliner. Setting an automatic hourly report up for McGonagall, he let himself drift for twenty minutes.

When he awoke, it was with a start. Something wasn't right, but he just couldn't put his finger on it. Shrugging it off, he went to finish the potion which was in its last stage. When it had cooled and he had added the last ingredient, he put the potion into several vials, just so that there was always a supply on hand. After putting the last vial in a cabinet in the training room, he walked back to Riley's room carrying a vial of the potion. When he entered he had that sense again, like something wasn't right. Then it hit him, Riley was emitting a blue glow.

"Shit…" Aden curse under his breath and rushed to the bed, where he proceeded to shake Riley, attempting to wake her up. "Wake up Riley, come on. It's just a dream, it's not happening. Come on love! Wake up!" Riley went unfazed through the entire time that Aden was shaking her. Aden grimaced but knew what he had to do. Leaning in, he pressed his lips to hers, causing a green glow to engulf him. After several moments, the two different colored lights merged and formed an aqua glow. Once this happened, Riley's eyes snapped open, Aden flung himself to the opposite side of the room producing a shield, and Riley started flinging hexes at him.

Riley's eyes were looking around the room frantically after she had stopped the barrage of hexes that she had sent towards the stunning boy that was in her room. She froze when her eyes landed on him, taking in his features. Black shaggy hair, electric blue eyes, tall, muscular, tan, and dressed like he was some muggle skater. If she wouldn't have been scared out of her wits about a stranger in her room, she would have fell in love with him right at that moment. Tearing her eyes away from the boy, she looked at the huddled, shaking mass at the foot of her bed. Ari.

_Ari? Oh, no. Ari, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it! I got scared. I'm sorry, Ari._ Riley was crying silently as she pulled her knees up to her chest; she had scared the little girl that she had vowed to never hurt. Ari crawled out from under the covers and slowly made her way to the older girl, once there she wrapped her tiny arms around the older girl's legs.

"I'm fine, M-mum." Ari smiled weakly as Riley's head snapped up.

_You…you called me mum!_ Riley bit her bottom lip to keep herself from crying out in joy but pulled the little girl into a fierce hug.

Standing near the desk, Aden watched the scene with amusement. Three Elementalists were found, now they just needed to find the fourth.

**AN:: Reviews are welcome and any suggestions also. **


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